It
has been good long 19 years since the spectators or rather crowd, at India’s
cricket Mecca – Eden Gardens – decided that they will not let Sri Lankans
complete their annihilation of the Indian squad at the semi final game of the
World Cup.
Stands
were burnt, bottles were used as missiles and ultimately the game was called
off in favour of the Lankans, who later went on to clinch their first and only
World Cup title.
But
that was 1996, the Indian economy had opened just a few years ago, India’s
youth was still restless, jobless and perhaps – there is nothing official about
it – resonated with the public at large.
History,
as they say, repeat itself and for us it took just three years and that too at
the same dubious venue. This time, the crowd cannot digest a run out. They decided
it was unfair and that was it.
Those
who dig for cricket trivia may know that that the boorish behaviour of the
crowd at Rajkot in 2002 was not because India was on a slide. Let us, however, agree
that 2002 was a year of aberrations and more so for Gujarat.
Since then, we hoped and assumed that we have moved on, learning from our mistakes, or simply letting bygones be bygones.
After
all in this while we have sent a probe to Mars, won the World Cup and elected a
leader to prove that we believe in giving second chances.
But after the latest debacle in Cuttack, when the spectators again transformed into a rioting crowd, maybe
now the time has come to pause and reflect on the fact that somehow, we have
missed an evolutionary phase.
And
perhaps, in some way what happened at Cuttack and Dadri, is a reflection of our
stunted growth. It takes a few runs on board, or a rumour to incite our animal
spirits. We catch fire quickly than it takes sodium to burn in air.
So,
are we not only sore losers and get hurt easily but also naïve and equally
intolerant?
Some
may argue that it is not so, after all, arson and rioting does happen in the
more civilised West. In sports, fans of soccer teams are renowned for that. The
latest such incidents have, however, been reported from Malaysia and Egypt and both
countries are already battling their own demons.
This, however, is not about comparisons. It is very easy to be outside the field and call judgements. Kohli is not playing well cause Anushka or they had beef in their refrigerator – are not aberrations. It is a mindset. And with each passing day our belief in passing on the blame, or making someone a scapegoat is strengthening.
We
intuitively practice it in our daily routine. There is always someone there who
can be blamed. A section of the stadium, some incited mob, one party ideology,
or even a road, named after a king long dead 300 years ago.
August
15,
1947 was supposed to be our day of awakening to life and freedom. But in
no
measure we have kept our pledge. We are still fighting on the same
issues that eventually
led to partition and the unfortunate fact is that the trust deficit
among
ourselves is widening every year. We feed the Brutus inside us and yet
we claim that the fault lie in our stars and not ourselves.
Maybe
now it is time to have another tryst with destiny, first as individuals and
then as a country. The Prime Minister perhaps needs to redefine Swachh Bharat. The
journey from an uncouth nation to a progressive one cannot be limited to
cleaning the muck on our roads. But then again, do we need someone to tell us
that?
